Griesbach: The Sequel (with the Robinsons)

Last Saturday was a busy day - busy, but productive. Whilst shooting my sister and Richard, we were joined by Denise, Randy and Tessa (flower girl extraordinaire) for more fun photos in the pretty leaves at Griesbach. They were an agreeable bunch and were willing to run around and play for me while I snapped away. The photos turned out fabulously, if I do say so myself... not that I was surprised... I knew they'd look terrific!

I'm getting sleepy and don't have much more to say for now except check out their slideshow at www.envphotography.com/robinsons/

Autumn leaves at Griesbach with Trisha and Richard

This past Saturday I headed off to my favourite neighbourhood in Edmonton - the one I will someday live in when I become ridiculously wealthy (in my dreams). The glorious neighbourhood is Griesbach and I had a great time shooting my sister and her husband there. This area seems to be one of a few spots in Edmonton where the leaves actually turn red! It's a popular spot - it seems at any time you can drive by and there are at least four photographers there with families taking pictures.
We were lucky that day and not many other people were around while we were shooting. We had the opportunity to take full advantage of the fabulous colour and I even managed to get my pregnant sister to semi-climb a tree for me. She was always the photogenic child and the pictures turned out well... there's a reason why she is on one side of the lens and why I cling to the other...
Check out their slideshow at www.envphotography.com/trickarichard/

Post-wedding wheat field frolicking

So as the day was winding down, our bride and groom were too tired for more photos... However, Juli and Rowan were up for a quick run through the wheat filed across the highway (probably private property... but we weren't chased out by angry farmers, so all is well). The sun was still pretty high and were we hoping for an early sunset (for some reason, it just didn't happen) but the photos were fun anyway! Juli and Rowan are just adorable... check out the mini session for their run through the wheat field at www.envphotography.com/julirowan/

Pretty in Pink - The Wedding!

This past Saturday (September 15th), I dragged myself out of bed and left the house at 8: 30 to go pick up Juli (wedding planner extrordinaire in the making) and we headed off to the West end to help/photograph Jennifer get ready for her big day. Two of the bridesmaids were there for a short time while the dresses were getting steamed but they somehow managed to sneak off without getting photographed. Luckily the darling flower girl and extra adorable ring bearer were around to keep me busy. Dominic was so excited by the camera that whenever I seemed to point it his way, he would run straight at me with a big grin on his face. Lizzy also seemed fond of the camera and did a great job twirling for me out in the yard while everyone else was getting ready.

Jennifer had a lovely pink strapless corset back dress that was fabulous to photograph - we were even lucky enough to get to photograph her being strapped in by her Mom and then watched as Lizzy helped complete the jewellery. We quickly rushed off to the church (and only 10 minutes late, so not bad - not like it could start without Jennifer anyway!)
The ceremony was lovely, although I believe Dominic snoozed through a good part of it. Afterwards, we headed off to Jackie Parker Park for the formal pictures with Jennifer and Dirk, swiftly followed by the remainder of the wedding party.

The day was perfect - sunny skies, not too hot and the leaves were just starting to change. The group was easy to photograph and quite agreeable to work with - always pleasant! The park was a great place to photograph and I believe I will use it again in the future.

After the photos, we were off to the reception in south Edmonton at the Scottish Society. We did some big group shots outside and then watched the kids dance up a storm. There was lots of pink, which always makes me happy, especially when paired with black - can't go wrong there. It was a beautiful day with plenty of lovely pictures...
Take a peek at Jennifer and Dirk's big day at Pretty in Pink - The Wedding!

My first wedding shooting solo went very well!

Owen at the Park

Earlier today, I joined my sister, Trisha, her good friend Jane, and Jane's son Owen at the community park near Kingsway Mall in central Edmonton. We ran around in the sand at the park and I captured bunches of fabulous pictures of Owen - of course, seeing how cute he is, it wasn't difficult to do.
He was a little hard to keep up with, but when I could, I got some great photographs (as well as pound of sand in each shoe - not so comfy). He was getting difficult to follow, but I think he thought it was a game - it's not often that you get chased by some big black flashing object. Some of the best photos were the ones in the swings - where he couldn't get away! The cutest part was getting him to look my way. Jane would say to him "Where's Beth?", and he'd look my way, but would point at the same - every time. Too cute! I think he had the best time the springy butterfly - he kept going back to it, even though we tried out a few other pieces of equipment. Can't blame him though, it did seem like a lot of fun to wiggle around in it.
Here are a few photos from the day - see the rest at www.envphotography.com/owen/

Saturday with Tessa at the Muttart Conservatory

Yesterday I ventured off to the Muttart to photograph Tessa, the darling princess who just so happened to be the flower girl in my recent wedding. Between cloud bursts, she raced around the slippery grounds (miraculously, without falling) at the Muttart and I managed to capture her in the exceptionally photogenic flowers and hanging from trees. She was a fabulous subject to photograph -and had no problem ignoring me with the camera as she found neat things to look at. Admittedly, I prefer the pictures that were taken outdoors as opposed to the ones inside. A wedding was being photographed at the same times we were there and Tessa was a little jealous that they didn't pick her to be the flower girl!
My favourite pictures are the ones when she decided to dance for us - she's a great little dancer. The second favourites are the jumping pictures - I love the look of flying hair, especially with children! She was quite a trooper despite the blisters she developed from jumping around in her spiffy new shoes. Check out the slide show for the day at www.envphotography.com/tessa/

Labour Day long weekend in Fairmont, BC

Last weekend, my husband and I joined a friend at their timeshare in Fairmont, BC. We managed to get out out of work early and set off around 2 pm towards British Columbia. The drive wasn't bad, but we had the unfortunate luck of hitting Calgary right at rush hour... nothing like being stuck in an over-sized snail race. Of course, it was worth the wait as we got closer to Banff. Boy, you sort of forget how big the mountains are when you don't see them often. The drive through was pleasant, although somewhat speedy - we were driving about 140 km/h and were still being passed left, right, and center. Driving into Radium was fabulous and quick peek at the hot springs as we drove by certainly made the long drive worthwhile.

Now, we thought we had good directions, and seeing that Fairmont is such a small town, we thought there would be no problem finding the villa - we were wrong! We got a pretty good tour of the town before we finally fit our destination. The villa is on the side of a mountain in the middle of a golf course - silly us for not spotting it right away!
We ended the night with a fabulous BBQ and a few rounds of mojitos... perfect way to end the night.

The next day we headed off to the Fairmont Hot Springs for some hiking and picture taking. I got my best photos on this day. The weather was fabulous and there were swarms of people everywhere. We decided to not partake in the public hot springs, but were content with the spring-fed pool and hot tubs back at the townhouse.
The rest of the weekend was uneventful - mainly consisting of BBQ, more mojitos, hot-tubbing and a lot of sleeping in - oh, the power of the mountain air.

We were sad to leave on Monday, but had to get back to our 4 darling kittens who surely missed us dearly. The drive back was better and I also managed to get some photos along the way (not while driving, of course!). I definitely suggest a stay in Fairmont, despite it being golfer's paradise with 14 golf courses in the area, it does have some good things going for it! I can't wait to go back and visit again!